The Dovecote Residential Care Home

Updated 19 February 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by one inspector, an assistant inspector and an inspection manager.

Service and service type

The Dovecote is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service in the last 12 months. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as alleged abuse or serious injury of any person receiving care at the service. We sought feedback from the care commissioners and external health professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us, to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make. We took this information into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service and one relative, to ask about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, a support manager, a team leader, two senior care workers, two care workers and an activities coordinator. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records, some people’s medicines records. We looked at staff files in relation to their recruitment and supervision, along with records relating to the management of the home. We also reviewed a variety of care policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care, to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found at the inspection visit. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 19 February 2020

About the service

The Dovecote Residential Care Home provides Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care for up to 18 people with a learning disability. The home is in Pleasley, Nottinghamshire. At the time of the inspection there were 18 people living at the home. The home accommodates people across two separate buildings, the lodge and the bungalow. Each building has an adapted environment to support people and their needs.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Systems and processes were in place to ensure people were kept safe. Risks were monitored and managed with robust instructions to support staff to identify risk. Staffing levels were managed and deployed appropriately. Consideration was given to ensure the right staff skill mix was in place. Medicines were managed in a safe way and people received their medicines as prescribed. Infection prevention and control measures were followed in line with legislation. Accidents and incidents were managed with corrective action taken when needed and lessons learned.

People’s needs were assessed to ensure they received the right support. Staff were fully supported and received training that provided them with the skills to do their job. People exercised genuine choice with their meals and received sufficient amounts to eat and drink. Staff worked with other health and social care professionals to achieve good outcomes for people's health and wellbeing. Suitable adaptations had been made to ensure people could access all parts of the home, there were clear systems and processes to support people to access healthcare services. Management and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They ensured best interest and decisions for people were met. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were well supported by staff within the home to live a full life as possible.

Staff demonstrated and promoted dignity and respect. People were respected and empowered to make decisions about their care and support. Where required people had access to information to help them have their voice heard by accessing an advocate or representative to support them. People were encouraged to lead an independent lifestyle.

People received exceptional personalised care from staff who were knowledgeable and skilled to care for them. Staff and the management team worked with passion and dedication and went above and beyond to achieve excellent outcomes for people. The service was creative and innovative in supporting people to live well independently, by using technology to support this. People were encouraged to keep in touch with family and make friends. Staff and the management team were passionate and dedicated to achieving positive outcomes for people. There was an open and transparent culture when dealing with complaints. End of life care was discussed with people and their wishes documented.

The service was well-led by the support manager, as the registered manager was not in control of the day to day running of the service.

There was a clear positive culture throughout the staff team that demonstrated how their open and listening management style and robust quality assurance systems had continual development and improvement at the service. People felt the home was very well managed. We received overwhelming positive comments about the support manager and how they managed the service. Staff were passionate about providing high quality care. The support manager was extremely proud of a process they had helped to develop to promote joined up care when working with other healthcare professionals.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection the service was rated as Good (published 28 April 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to assess if the service was meeting the requirements of the Health and Social care Act 2014.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.